Chapter 4654 — The Trial of West Island
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"The Trial of West Island? What on earth is that?" Wei Zhao was taken aback, utterly baffled. Everyone else at the table seemed to know something about West Island affairs; he alone had never even heard of it. True, he had been with Ning Xuefei and the others these past days, but the whole group had been circling around the automatic forging mechanism the entire time—the subject had simply never come up.
Looking back now, Ning Xuefei had probably withheld it on purpose, always putting on a carefree front before Wei Zhao and the others. And her acting had been convincing enough—she had managed to keep them from sensing the weight she carried in her heart.
Seeing the expectant looks on everyone's faces, Wei Zhao shrugged in bewilderment. Was this West Island Trial really so famous, then, that even outsiders not native to West Island were this excited?
Back in the mortal world, Wei Zhao had been no stranger to trials; he was forever entering one trial or another. But ever since arriving on Cloud Terrace Island, they had grown rare. Apart from the newcomers' trial at the very beginning, he had not taken part in any for over a year—and now one had suddenly appeared, and in such an unexpected, utterly unprepared fashion.
"Brother Wei Zhao, the West Island Trial is held once every three years, and it's famous across all five great islands of the Heaven Terrace," Han Jingyi said, leaning close to whisper in his ear when she saw him looking utterly lost.
"Is there anything special about it?" Wei Zhao asked curiously. A trial was nothing strange—but a trial renowned across the five Cloud Terrace islands, that was rather interesting. Especially since this time it involved Ning Xuefei's lifelong happiness.
"What exactly makes it special, I'm not really sure either..." Han Jingyi stuck out her tongue sheepishly.
In her two years on West Island she had scarcely left the Island Master's palace—more precisely, she had rarely left the research room. She knew little of the outside world and had never taken part in any trial at all.
What was more, this triennial trial had never once fallen within her time there; it would be her first as well. She had only caught an occasional mention of it from Ning Xuefei's lips.
"I know about this one!" Shangguan Lan'er was far better informed than Han Jingyi. She leaned in and explained, "Grandfather has spoken of the West Island Trial specifically. He calls it one of the most valuable trials among the five Cloud Terrace islands—a rare opportunity indeed."
"Oh?" Wei Zhao was startled. Shangguan Tianxia's knowledge and vision were surely among the finest on Cloud Terrace Island; if even he held the West Island Trial in such regard, it must have something truly extraordinary about it.
"The rules themselves aren't particularly special—what makes the West Island Trial so precious is its location." Shangguan Lan'er tilted her head, recalling, then went on for the two of them: "Legend has it that near West Island lies a sea of adventure, a battlefield relic left over from ancient times. It's surrounded by sea mist, restrictive formations, and layer upon layer of wards, so ordinarily no one can enter at all—you can't even find it. Only once every three years, at a specific moment, does it open."
"An ancient battlefield?" Wei Zhao's heart stirred. Somewhere in the depths of his being he felt an ancient, savage aura rushing at him, enough to make one's blood run cold—and yet he could not help itching to try his luck. They said the ancient age had teemed with geniuses and thronged with mighty experts; a battlefield relic that had buried countless ancient heroes must surely be no simple place.